It-vest was formed in 1999 in response to public and private enterprises in Denmark claiming and forecasting a severe lack of qualified ICT employees with university degrees.

Fewer high school students were considering enrolling in ICT programmes as they considered IT a tool, not a profession. At the same time other graduates - especially from the Humanities - found it difficult to find jobs in private companies.

In 1999, the Danish government established and financed the It-vest network to strengthen the ICT courses and ICT research developed by the participating universities.

The primary goal of It-vest is to develop and market educational programmes. It-vest has a steering committee consisting of deans from the participating universities and representatives from the ICT industry.

Altogether the three universities are educating half of all ICT graduates in Denmark.

It-vest particularly focuses on the development and marketing of ICT educations as well as other ICT activities at the three universities. Furthermore, It-vest supports nationwide activities, promoting ICT educations and the development of ICT in general.